Fantastic Creatures
by Ookami-Papillon
Summary: Kiba trying to cajole Shino into doing something- yet again -leads to Hinata asking some questions, and an interesting story is told. Team eight centric.


**Title:** Fantastic Animals

**Summary:** Kiba trying to cajole Shino into doing something- yet again -leads to Hinata asking some questions. Team eight centric.

**Notes:** The jaculo is a creature written about in Leonardo da Vinci's book _Fantastic Animals_ in the story _The fox and the mysterious animal_. I googled it and came up with nothing, so I wrote this.

–

Hinata overheard it when Kiba was joking (or trying to) with Shino.

"C'mon _jaculo_, just a little!" He wheedled, grinning widely, and Shino chuckled and shook his head.

"You know I hate it," He replied, and grabbed the hand Kiba had around a spoonful of it as the Inuzuka tried to shove it closer.

"Wh-what did you say?" Hinata prodded, her fingers poking together to keep her grounded.

They both looked to her, and Shino managed to get the spoon back in the flimsy plastic container of tofu Kiba had bought.

Kiba looked confused. "What? What did we say?"

Hinata faltered, but they both looked so open (in their own ways) that she found the gall to continue. "You c-called Shino… something…?" Hinata only had half an idea of what the word had been, and couldn't repeat it. She'd heard it before, though, she was sure; maybe a passing older cousin, a surly old uncle…

Kiba's expression popped regardless. "Oh! Oh, I called him a _jaculo_! It's a, uhh, you know; a myth," He said uncertainly. He turned to Shino, looking imploring.

Shino easily extrapolated for him. "Jaculo. It's a mythical creature. A shadowy, unknown predator that will leap like an arrow from a bow, down from the branches of trees and right through its victim, killing them."

Hinata felt uneasy, but then Kiba laughed loudly and chased all her fears away. "Hahaha! I love those things! So cool! See, no one really knows anything about it. Does it make any sounds? What's it look like? How does it reproduce? What does it eat? Those sorts of questions."

Shino gave his arm a pat. "Tell her why you called me that, too." Hinata nodded earnestly in agreement, fingers pressed to her mouth.

Both Kiba and Shino told such wonderful stories, mostly because they had the kind of dispositions that could make conversation interesting. The way Kiba said the word, Hinata could tell it was from the old language of the Inuzuka. Both her team-mates loved their old clan legends, and had many, many traditional tales to tell. Hinata loved hearing them.

Kiba leaned forward, handsome and wild and kind, and began. "See, even before the founding of Konoha, the Inuzuka and the Aburame have always lived deep in the forests. It's our home. It's where we belong. We didn't always know about each other, however.

"When our two families started noticing each other, it was weird. Odd. They didn't look like us. We didn't really know what they looked like at all. All we knew was that when a shadow moved in a tree, so long as we didn't to near that tree, good healthy brothers and sisters didn't just kneel over and die."

Shino broke in quickly. "While the Inuzuka thought us weird, we thought them terrifying. Inuzuka used to be huge, hulking warriors, all clad in fur and at least twice our size. When we went to watch them, we got spooked quite easily if they approched. It's written in records later on, that everyone was quite ashamed of this behaviour."

Kiba just laughed, long and hard. "Scared! Of us! Aww, we're just puppies Shino, honest! Don't be scared," He mock-cooed, and Shino shooed him on with his story.

"Haha, anyway, we thought they weren't human. We thought they were some kind of animal made of shadow. Until they came and presented themselves, we called them _jaculo_, and then we kept using it, and the name just stuck."

Hinata frowned. "But- but the Aburame, they d-didn't mind?"

Both the boys laughed. Shino, a smile in his voice, told her; "We didn't mind because we weren't offended. We didn't really have a right to be; striking down their fellow kinsmen, just because they were big and hairy? It wasn't very nice. But most importantly, the Inuzuka didn't use it to offend _us_. They didn't use it to describe something beneath them, or something not equal to them. They just used it to explain something they couldn't explain; to give it meaning. When we showed ourselves, they treated us quite nicely, and with kindness."

Kiba let out some loud fake sniffs at that, and Shino hit him irritably. The Inuzuka grinned naughtily, and Hinata giggled into her hands. She was about to say what a nice story it turned out to be, but Shino suddenly put in;

"Also, it was very flattering. It's not like they made assumptions, or gave our actions a reason; they just didn't go near us, which was exactly what we wanted at the time. It's a very…" Shino hesitated, the well-spoken boy unsure of how to continue. "A very _cool_ sort of description, isn't it?"

Kiba let out a loud whoop, obviously pleased, and Hinata nodded happily in agreement.

"ANNNYWAY," Kiba said loudly, snatching up his container again with a devious smile. Shino huffed. "As you were, soldier. Just a bite, _jaculo_; it won't kill ya!"

Shino turned his face away, resistant, and Hinata was just as content as usual to watch them.


End file.
